Mobile monetization and marketing company IronSource today announced the launch of its A/B testing tool for ad monetization.
IronSource‘s mediation platform (which figures out the best ad to run at any given time) will enable app developers to instantly and effortlessly test multiple monetization strategies directly through a dashboard and then make strategic decisions based on true comparative data.
App developers currently use two predominant methods to test monetization theories — day-to-day tests, such as waterfall amends, and larger tests, like interstitial frequency and new ad-unit implementation — both of which have their challenges.
The most common method is to release a change to all users in one go. However, the inability to first test the change against a control group means that the results are speculative and unreliable, as well as risky. In the rare case that a developer has the tools needed to run a legitimate test, it is generally done through two different builds, which demands a large amount of engineering resources, making it costly and time-consuming.
The company said its new tool solves these issues by allowing app developers to run tests and improve their average revenue per user (ARPU), average revenue per daily active user (ARPDAU) and retention rates directly through their own dashboard on the IronSource mediation platform. By setting up a control group and a test group, the developers can allocate their desired traffic distribution to each one.
After receiving results, developers can then adjust the settings according to each group. This allows developers to experiment with different criteria without exposing the whole of their audience to the change. IronSource’s reporting system tracks the performance of each group against their main key performance indicators (KPIs). Using the in-depth test overview, developers can then choose to end the test and apply the settings from the winning group.
“Good ad monetization implementation is always a balance between revenue and user experience, so constant iteration, customizability, and optimization are a key component to success,” said Andrew Stone, president of Random Logic Games, in a statement. “With IronSource’s A/B testing tool, all of that becomes infinitely easier to optimize and improve so that we’re able to quickly and easily make smart decisions that directly impact our business, and automate our operations for greater efficiency.”
The A/B testing tool also lays the foundations for a smooth transition to in-app bidding, where networks bid in real time for an impression. Moving over to in-app bidding may have a considerable impact on revenue, so any changes must be executed in a controlled testing environment before the switch is made to a full-scale bidding solution.
“Our goal at IronSource is to become the growth platform for publishers, and our recent product releases have all focused on improving the transparency and automation of a publisher’s operations,” said Nimrod Zuta, vice president of product at IronSource, in a statement. “This tool will transform the way developers make decisions about their monetization strategy, allowing them to run a one-off test or continuously test multiple aspects of their ads, without the risk and resources involved in uploading new versions to the store.”
IronSource’s in-app video ad platform reaches more than 1.5 billion people around the world via 80,000 apps.